


Rage

by SharkGirl



Series: Home [20]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Animal Hybrids, Animal Hybrid AU, Backstory, Continuation, Danger, Established Relationship, Familial Relationship, M/M, Needles, Off-page Original Character Death, Use of a leash, Use of a stun gun, Violence, minor blood
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-07
Updated: 2016-09-07
Packaged: 2018-08-13 15:06:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,189
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7980964
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SharkGirl/pseuds/SharkGirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Three bears survived what was later known as the Goldilocks Project.</p><p>Asahi's backstory and a continuation of <a href="http://archiveofourown.org/works/7516310">Hunted</a>.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Rage

**Author's Note:**

> Well, this only took forever. ^^  
> Poor Asahi... (direct quote from my beta, indevan)
> 
> It's painful. Please enjoy!  
> Ooh, you may also want to reacquaint yourself with [this birb](http://haikyuu.wikia.com/wiki/Noboru_Akimiya) before reading (we're birthday twins!)

It was a well-known fact that, if you were in the market for a hybrid that would serve you loyally and protect you, you should purchase a dog.  However, the scientists were always coming up with new ideas, pushing boundaries and breaking new ground.

Their newest endeavor – having finally been successfully executed – was creating bear hybrids.

Three bears survived what was later known as the Goldilocks Project.

Azumane Asahi was the oldest, a year ahead of the other two.  He was a grizzly bear and, despite his ferocious name, he was quite gentle.  So gentle, in fact, that the scientists initially thought that he was a failure, a hybrid unable to be vicious enough to frighten off intruders and protect his owner’s home and family.

In an attempt to prove that the bears would be better guardians than dogs, the scientist came up with an experiment, both to test their subjects’ strength and ferocity, as well as prove to the higher ups that their project wasn’t a complete waste of the Institutions money and resources.

At the tender age of thirteen, Asahi and the other two bears were paired with smaller animals known as their ‘buddies.’  They didn’t interact with any of the other hybrids, save for their new buddies.

The grizzly’s partner was a boy his age named Akimiya Noboru.  He was kind and enthusiastic, with big, dark brown eyes and short black hair with three thick strands that stood up from a cowlick that wouldn’t go down despite his attempts at taming them.  He was a bird hybrid, an Asian hoopoe, something that the scientists had given up on refining when he was still in diapers, so this was a ‘second chance for him,’ as they’d put it.

Asahi and Noboru did everything together.  They ate, exercised, studied – owners wanted a guardian, but not a brainless beast – and even slept side by side.  Asahi always felt at ease with the smaller boy next to him.  Noboru would rest his head on the bear hybrid's chest and he’d stroke his beautiful white and black striped wings.

Hybrids didn’t have siblings, but Asahi assumed that this was what having one felt like.

The scientists visited their room every day, checking their vitals and making sure they were eating properly and completing their assignments.  But, one day, they added something to their usual routine.  After taking both Asahi and Noboru’s blood pressures, they pulled a syringe out of one of their bags.

“What’s-” Asahi began, his body beginning to shake.  He had a fear of needles.

“Just something to improve your…profitability,” the man said, rolling up the bear’s sleeve and injecting him without warning.

That night, Asahi felt sick to his stomach.  He tossed and turned, and not even Noboru’s soft and gentle touches could soothe him.

He received the same shot once every two days.  And they upped the dosage after two weeks, muttering something about how he didn’t respond the way the ‘others’ did.

Of course, they were probably referring to the other two bears left in the project.  He’d never met them, but he knew one was a polar bear – even larger than he was – and the other was a Kamchatka brown bear – something he’d had to look up during one of his and Noboru’s study sessions.

“You’re shaking again,” Noboru said one evening while they ate.

Asahi looked down to see trembling fingers gripping his dinner roll.

“Is it the medicine?” the bird asked, his brows knitting together. “It’s getting worse. Maybe we should tell-”

“I’m fine.” Asahi put his bread down, setting his hands in his lap and offering a weak smile. “I’m just a little tired.”

He knew that the other boy could tell he was lying.  They spent every waking moment of the last two years together.  He could see through him instantly.

“C’mon.” Noboru moved to sit next to him, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Are you afraid they’ll throw you away if they find out?”

Asahi’s eyes widened.  Noboru was perceptive.  But that wasn’t the only reason he was worried.  He was scared of being sold off as a failure, yes, but there was more.  If he didn’t live up to their expectations, Noboru would also be tossed aside.  This was the bird hybrid’s last chance, his own project having already been discontinued.  Asahi needed to succeed.

He didn’t get a chance to respond.  The door to their room clicked open and a team of scientists walked inside.  It was unusual.  Normally, the doctor’s came to give them their check-ups before lunch.

Had they found out about Asashi’s reaction to the medicine?

One of them grabbed Noboru’s upper arm, pulling him away.

“Hey-!” he cried out, spreading his striped wings and flapping as he tried to break free.

“Restrain him,” another scientist said before turning cold eyes on Asahi. “I think I’ve finally perfected it,” he said to the bear, narrowing his eyes.  Then he reached into his pocket and pulled out a syringe.  “Three times the lethal dose, but I’m sure you’ll be fine.”

“Three times…” Asahi trailed off, eyes darting over to where two men held Noboru, one forcing his arms behind his back, the other securing his wings.  Then he felt a stabbing pain in his arm when he was injected without warning.

Immediately, the room began to spin around him.  He tried to find his partner again.  To focus on him.

“Nobo…ru…” he choked, noting the fear in the shorter boy’s eyes.  “…hey…” he began weakly, dots clouding his vision, “…let him…go…”

“Release the bird.”

Asahi fell to a knee, the entire room blurry and every sound muffled.

“…sahi…Asahi!” Noboru was shaking him and it was only then that he realized he’d fallen onto his side.  “What did you do to him?”

“Fixed him, if my calculations are correct,” the scientist responded.

Asahi could hear them clearly if he closed his eyes.

“But, Asahi, he’s-”

“He’ll be fine.” There was a flurry of moment and the tapping of shoes on the tile floor. “Sleep well, you two. We’ll be back for you in the morning.”

 

Hours later, Asahi woke up in a cold sweat.  He immediately reached for Noboru, thankful the other boy was still beside him, snoring softly.  He tried to relax as he stared up at the ceiling.  After a moment, he noticed that his hands weren’t shaking anymore.

Perhaps that’s what the scientist had meant when he said he’d ‘fixed him.’

“Asahi…?” Noboru sat up, his three stray hairs sticking out at odd angles. “You’re awake!” He rubbed at his eyes and blinked.  “Are you feeling okay?”

“Actually…yeah.” Asahi’s arm was still a little sore from the heavy dose he’d taken, but, other than that, he felt good.  Better than he had in a while.

“Good,” the smaller boy sighed and curled up against him. “Don’t scare me like that.” He gently punched him in the ribs and Asahi gave a tired chuckle.

“Yeah. Sorry.”

 

The next morning, Asahi awoke to an empty bed and panicked.  Just as he was about to get up and look for his partner, the door to their room flew open, two scientists and a few large men in jumpsuits pouring in.

“Take him to the viewing area,” the one who’d injected him the night before said, gesturing toward the door. “I’m sure the higher ups are tired of waiting.”

Asahi’s blood ran cold.  He didn’t know what was going on.  He and Noboru were supposed to be together always.  That’s what they told him.  But the bird hybrid was missing.  Why had they separated them?

He let out a deep roar when one of the large men looped a noose around his neck, pulling the leash taut and yanking him out of bed.  It tightened further, the excess cord withdrawing into the pole the handler had in his grasp.

They dragged Asahi down a long hallway.  But he ignored the pain in his neck as he searched for Noboru.  What had they done with him?  Where was he?  Had they hurt him in any way?

Asahi was led through a doorway and forced onto his knees, the leash loosening and disappearing from around his neck.  He looked around.  It was pitch black, his diurnal eyes unable to adjust quickly enough.

Then the lights flicked on, nearly blinding him.  He shielded his eyes and tried to take in his surroundings.  He was in a white room, completely sterile.  There was nothing around him in the vast space, save for a small surgical set up.

He heard a noise and looked up to see hundreds of people in lab coats looking down at him from behind thick glass. 

This must have been the viewing area the scientist had mentioned.

Asahi looked back at the cold, metal table with a heart monitor and a tray laden with sharp instruments beside it.

The other people must have been students brought in to watch a surgery.  He and Noboru had read about it in a medical journal the bird hybrid had picked out from the library.  Though, Asahi had spent the majority of that study session peeking out from behind his hands, squeamish and nauseated.

But, if this was a surgical viewing, just who was being operated on?

He heard a familiar voice shout and turned just in time to see two scientists carrying Noboru into the room.  He was wearing a hospital gown and he looked pale, despite the fight he was putting up.

“Let me go!” he squawked, flapping his wings and wriggling. “Put me down.”

Asahi was frozen on the spot.  He wanted to call out to his friend, but he found he had no voice.  Then the bird hybrid locked eyes with him.

“Asahi!” he called. “Asahi…help me!”

That snapped him out of it.  No matter how scary the situation, his partner was in danger.  He made to stand up but he lost all strength when something poked into his side, shocking him and sending him back onto the ground.

“Not yet,” a handler said, the end of his long stun gun still crackling with electricity.

Asahi looked up and watched as the men placed Noboru on the table, strapping him down when he refused to lie still.  His side ached, but he got back onto his knees.

“Now.” A voice called over the loud speaker. “These two have spent the last two years in constant contact,” he continued.  It was the scientist from earlier.  Asahi recognized his voice.  “For the past few months, we have been injecting Subject A with a serum of my own creation,” he went on.  “Now, my team and I will show you its effects.”

The lights beyond the glass dimmed, making Asahi feel as though they were on display.  And they were.

“A dog may be loyal, but can he protect you the way a bear can?” the man asked and then Asahi saw three men get closer to Noboru.  “On my count, kill the bird.”

Asahi’s eyes went wide, his heart pounding in his chest.  His entire body shook.

“One…two…”

“NO!!” Asahi roared, scrambling to his feet and bounding forward.  He punched the first man hard in the side of his face, sending him flying.  The next, he lifted over his head and threw clear across the room.  The third ducked out of the way, but Asahi paid him no mind.  His only thought was to get Noboru out of there.

“Asahi!” the other teen looked up at him, his face white.  “Get out of here. They’re just using you.”

“Not until you’re free.” He pulled at the straps, growling when they wouldn’t loosen.

“No, you don’t understand.” Noboru shook his head. “Leave while they’re distracted. I’ll be fi-”

“I’m not leaving without you!” Asashi bellowed, startling the other boy.  Then he felt the cord around his neck again, pulling him back and away from Noboru.

“That was just a sample,” the man’s voice came again. “If granted the necessary resources, we will create a fleet of bear hybrids, enough to provide personal security for all of our interested clients.”

Asahi pulled at his leash, wanting to get back to Noboru and set him free.  He watched as four scientists got closer to the bird hybrid, reaching toward him.  He barely heard the voice coming over the louder speaker.

“You see, the bird was never actually in any real danger-”

But the moment the scientists released him, Noboru tried to pull away.  He jumped off of the table and ran straight into the tray of surgical tools, both of them falling to the ground with a clatter.  When Noboru got up, his arm was bleeding.

And Asahi saw red.

Noboru was hurt.  His friend was hurt.  His partner.  They hurt him.

They _hurt_ him.

Asahi grabbed the pole attached to his leash and pulled, sending his handler sprawling onto the ground.  He ripped through the cord around his neck and ran forward, his entire world tinged red.

 

When he came to, it was to the sound of people screaming.  He instantly searched for Noboru.  He spotted the smaller boy cowering in the corner, shielding himself with his striped wings.  Asahi took a step toward him and Noboru flinched.  He frowned.

“Nobo-”

“Don’t hurt me!” he pleaded, brown eyes impossibly wide.  “Just…just get back!”

Asashi furrowed his brow.

“But I-”

“He’s slowed down! Get him!” someone shouted and Asahi turned and sucked in a breath at what he saw.

The room was completely trashed.  A few people huddled over motionless bodies and there was broken glass all over the ground.  Asahi looked up and saw that the surgical table had been thrown through the viewing window, ten feet above.

Asahi wasn’t fazed when they looped another leash around his neck.  He was too busy staring at the carnage around him.  Who had done that?  Was it…him?

He heard Noboru scream again and turned to face him.

“His arm’s broken and his wing’s torn,” he heard someone say.

“This project is cancelled!” another person shouted. “Consider your request for funding denied!”

“This one may be a failure, but I assure you, the other two-” the scientist who’d been on the loud speaker implored.

“Save it. Three people are _dead_ and he very nearly killed the thing he was trying to protect.”

Three people were dead?

Asahi had killed someone?  No…not someone.  Three someones.

And he’d nearly killed Noboru?

“What should we do with the bear?” his handler asked.

The head scientist turned toward him, glaring at Asahi.

“Take him and the bird downstairs to be euthanized,” he spat. “I have no use for them now.”

"Tranq him," was the last thing Asahi heard before everything went dark.

 

When Asahi opened his eyes, he felt a hard wooden floor beneath him, his body drenched in sweat.  He hadn’t dreamed about that in a long time.

His first time going into a rage state.

And, unfortunately, not his last.  His most recent had gone on for two weeks.

“Asahi?”

He turned and saw Nishinoya seated at a round table beside a tan man with a shaved head.  The hummingbird hybrid shot out of his seat, rushing over toward him.

“You’re awake!” He crouched down beside him and, for a moment, Asahi could have sworn he saw Noboru.  “How are you feeling?”

He gripped his head and sat up.

“I’m fine.”

Then Asahi keeled over, gripping his front as he belatedly realized the shorter man had punched him.

“Don’t you _ever_ do that again!” Nishinoya screamed, tears in his eyes. “You scared the shit out of me, you _asshole_!”

“Yuu…” he winced, looking up at the other through his hair, which hung lankly from his head, twigs and leaves sticking out of it.  “I’m so-”

“Don’t.” Nishinoya held a hand up. “Save it for later. Right now, we need to figure out how to leave this cabin without The Trackers finding us and get somewhere safe.”

“But I-”

“You’re welcome to stay here as long as you need.” The man at the table stood up and walked over.  “Noyassan said it might be a few more days.”

Asahi looked up at the human in confusion.

“Thanks, uh…”

“Tanaka.” He grinned, gesturing toward himself with his thumb.  “Tanaka Ryuunosuke, but you can call me-”

“Ryuu let me stay here while I was searching for you,” Nishinoya interrupted, pushing back some of Asahi's hair before cupping his cheek, his palm moving back and forth over the grizzly’s stubble, probably long enough to be considered a beard.

“You were…searching for me?” Guilt bubbled up inside him, swirling in his stomach and making him feel sick.  “You should have run away. You should have left me-”

“Stop.” Nishinoya removed his hand, fisting it in his own hair. “Just…stop saying things like that.”

“Why?” Asahi frowned, gritting his teeth.  “I’ve _killed_ people, Yuu.”  His dream, no, his _memory_ was still fresh in his mind.  “I never should have-”

“That was _years_ ago!” Nishinoya shouted, throwing his arms out. “You were a _child_. They…they _did things_ to you! It wasn’t your fault.”

“Even so, I still go into rage states.” Asahi dropped his gaze to the floor.

“I’ve known you for almost eight years.” Nishinoya put a hand on either side of Asahi’s face, tilting his head up so he’d look him in the eyes.  “I can count on one hand the number of times you’ve-”

“But they’re getting worse!” Asahi roared, startling the younger man.  He immediately felt guilty when Nishinoya pulled away from him, his eyes wide.  “I…I’ve never been able to control it, but now…” He knit his brows. “Two _weeks_ , Yuu.” He swallowed. “What’s going to happen next time? How long will I be out of control? Who else will get hurt?”

“So, we’ll run away.” He felt a small hand on his shoulder. “We’ll go somewhere no one else will find us. We’ll make sure no one can hurt you.” Nishinoya looked up at him, eyes pleading.  “We’ll be safe.”

“Yuu…”

Tanaka stiffened beside them, his eyes darting toward the window.  Nishinoya and Asahi followed his gaze.

“What is it, Ryuu?”

“I saw something…”

Just then, there was a knock at the door.  They all turned toward it.  Asahi stood up on shaky legs, putting Nishinoya behind him and taking on a defensive stance.

“Who is it?” Tanaka called, grabbing his crossbow off of the table and creeping toward the door.

“Animal Control,” came a curt reply.  “There’s a wild bear on the loose and someone spotted it near here.”

Asahi’s blood turned to ice.

“We’d just like to ask you a few questions.”

“Ryuu,” Nishinoya hissed. “Does Animal Control typically go door-to-door?” he whispered, gripping the back of Asahi’s torn shirt as he stood up.

Tanaka shook his head.

“Please open the door, Sir.”

That’s when Asahi heard the all too familiar sound of a gun being cocked.  He looked over his shoulder, Nishinoya’s sensitive ears must have picked it up, too.  His grip tightened on the back of his shirt.

“Run.”

**Author's Note:**

> Don't worry, Noboru is okay. I wouldn't kill off a major character without warning you a hundred times first (even then, I still probably couldn't do it)
> 
> Please look forward to Nishinoya's backstory, coming soon! (It'll show more of his and Asahi's relationship, as well)
> 
> Let me know what you think and hit me up on tumblr [@jubesy](http://jubesy.tumblr.com)!


End file.
